Driver in deadly Rockland school bus crash pleads guilty to civil violation

ROCKLAND, Maine —

The Maine man who was driving a school bus that struck and killed a student in Rockland last year has pleaded guilty to a civil violation in connection with the fatal crash.

Jeffrey Colburn, 65, of Camden, pleaded guilty to committing a traffic offense that resulted in death during a hearing in Knox County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Maine’s Total Coverage reporter Jim Keithley, who was at Tuesday’s hearing, said Colburn has lost his driver’s license for four years and has to serve 15 hours of community service per month over the next year for a total of 180 community service hours.

Colburn had been indicted by a Knox County grand jury on a manslaughter charge in connection with the November 2025 school bus crash that claimed the life of 12-year-old Brayden Callahan, a Regional School Unit 13 (RSU 13) student.

An arrest warrant was issued by the Knox County District Attorney’s Office and Colburn was taken into custody on Jan. 15. He appeared in court the following day and pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge.

In a preliminary crash report released Jan. 20, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that shortly after 2:20 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2025, the RSU 13 school bus driven by Colburn was traveling on Broadway (Route 1A) when it stopped at the intersection of Eliza Steele Drive to unload three student passengers, including Brayden. Brayden was the last to exit the bus and he walked toward the front of the bus, where there was a marked pedestrian crosswalk across Broadway, according to the report.

The NTSB’s preliminary report states that as Brayden was walking by the front right corner of the bus while in the crosswalk, the bus began to move and struck him. Brayden then fell to the roadway and was run over by the bus, suffering fatal injuries.

A memorial for Brayden Callahan, a 12-year-old boy who was fatally struck by a school bus in Rockland, Maine, on Nov. 21, 2025.

According to a Maine crash report previously obtained by 8 Investigates, Brayden was run over by both the front and rear tires on the right side of the bus. Investigators said Colburn told police he did not see Brayden. Records indicate the crossing arm of the bus was not deployed at the time of the crash.

Brayden’s family has since filed a $10 million lawsuit against Colburn and RSU 13, alleging failures related to safety and oversight. According to previous reporting by 8 Investigates, crash reports show Colburn had been involved in two prior crashes while driving a school bus, both involving parked vehicles.

Colburn is no longer employed by RSU 13.

Jeffrey Colburn, 65, of Camden, Maine, appeared virtually in Knox County Superior Court on Jan. 16, 2026, in connection with a deadly crash that happened on Nov. 21, 2025, in Rockland, Maine.

During Colburn’s Jan. 16 court appearance, District Attorney Natasha Irving said her decision to seek an indictment against Colburn was based on her conclusion that he was criminally negligent in causing Brayden’s death, and that prosecutors could prove criminal negligence beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

Last Wednesday, Aug. 5, Rockland Police Chief Tim Carroll said in a statement shared with the public that his department was informed by the Knox County District Attorney’s Office that the case against Colburn would proceed as a civil violation.

“Following this tragedy, I asked our community for patience as our detectives began a meticulous and exhaustive investigation. I believe the members of the Rockland Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division delivered on that expectation. Our detectives spent weeks following every piece of evidence, building a thorough and detailed timeline of events, to ensure the District Attorney’s Office had complete, accurate information to seek justice,” Carroll said in his statement. “Our investigators gathered and presented evidence that we believe demonstrated criminal gross negligence. However, following extensive legal evaluation, prosecutors at the Knox County District Attorney’s Office determined, in their opinion, there was insufficient evidence to prove criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt at trial and continue with the criminal case.”

“With over 30 years in law enforcement, I understand the high burden of proof required to build a courtroom case and the immense emotional strain a trial places on witnesses — especially the many children and young people who would have had to relive this trauma on the stand. I certainly wish no further harm to anyone impacted by this tragedy and understand speaking to the DA that the family was part of this decision process,” Carroll added. “However, given the thoroughness of our investigation, the findings of that investigation and the weight of what occurred, I personally believe that criminal charges were justified. Any questions on this charging decision, which rests solely with the Knox County District Attorney’s Office, should be referred to them. Our thoughts remain with Brayden’s family, his friends, and everyone in our community affected by this unthinkable loss.”

Stephen C. Smith, a trial lawyer representing Brayden’s parents, released a statement on Aug. 5 on behalf of the boy’s mother and father.

“They are not without sympathy for Mr. Colburn and the profound consequences he will carry. But their primary concern is that RSU 13, the institution entrusted with protecting children on its buses, be held fully accountable for the safety systems, training, supervision, and decisions that failed Brayden,” Smith said in the statement. “This tragedy was not simply a moment on a roadway; it occurred within a school transportation system for which RSU 13 was responsible. The district was entrusted with the safety of children it transported. We will continue to pursue all available civil remedies on Brayden’s parents’ behalf and demand answers about RSU 13’s hiring and retention practices, driver training, supervision, bus-safety procedures, and every institutional decision that may have contributed to this preventable loss.”